Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
This ordinance authorizes the Auditor’s Office to establish an Auditor’s Certificate for the Department of Public Utilities to pay Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA) loan fees in a timely manner.
The Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) is a loan program jointly administered by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s (OEPA) Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance and the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA). The WPCLF provides below-market interest rate loans for municipal wastewater treatment improvements. City Council approved the Department of Public Utilities to apply for WPCLF loans for the Division of Sewerage and Drainage (now known as the Division of Water Reclamation) via Ordinance 2720-2024, passed by City Council on 10/28/25 OWDA charges a fee of approximately 0.0035% of each loan for administering the WPCLF loan program. Loan fees are not rolled into the loan amounts and are invoiced separately. These invoices are to be paid within 30 days of the invoice date.
The Department of Public Utilities has been legislating to pay the WPCLF loan charges after receipt of each invoice. It is not possible to pay the invoices on time using this method even when legislating them as emergency. Establishing an Auditor’s Certificate for the estimated loan fee needs ahead of time will allow these invoices to be paid within our contractual obligation and eliminates the possibility of delays in loan approval due to late payment of loan fees.
2. FISCAL IMPACT
Funds in the amount of $291,042.00 are budgeted, appropriated, and available within the Sewer Operating Fund, Fund 6100 and funds in the amount of $50,000.00 are budgeted, appropriated, and available within the Stormwater Operating Fund, Fund 6200.
3. CONTRACT COMPLIANCE
The Ohio Water Development Authority (31-6402047-207) is not contract compliant, and is not required to be contract compliant, as it is a governmental agency (State of Ohio).
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